Patna: Observing that the Shiv Sena led by Bal Thackeray was "behind" the hate campaign against the Bihari migrants in Mumbai and Maharashtra over the years, the Congress on Tuesday asked the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to seek ouster of the Sena from the NDA.

"Whether it is the MNS chief Raj Thackeray or the Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray who have been carrying out sustained hate campaign against the Biharis, it is Bal Thackeray who has been in root of the regional and chauvinistic politics of the Sena," Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee president Chaudhary Mehboob Ali Kaiser said.

Under the circumstances, if the Chief Minister was serious to take on the Thackerays, then he should seek ouster of the Shiv Sena from the NDA in order to teach the regional outfit a lesson about its hate campaign against the Bihar migrants and other North Indian settlers, he said.

Kaiser, however, "expressed doubt" that Kumar would take his suggestion to logical conclusion as he was sitting in the "lap of the Shiv Sena's trusted ally - BJP - to enjoy fruits of political power in Bihar."

Taking strong exception to the MNS chief's hate speech against the Bihari migrants and his cousin's remarks to make mandatory for the Bihari people to get permit for visit to Mumbai and Maharasthra, the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee president said that he has written a letter to the Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chawan urging him to take action as per law against the Thackerays for their provocative speech against the migrant people.

Kaiser also took potshot at senior BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi for backing Nitish Kumar's candidature as the NDA's prime ministerial nominee and said that Modi's remarks indicated that there were dearth of quality leaders in the saffron party to be projected as the Prime Ministerial candidate.

Modi must have a fair idea about shortage of quality leaders in the BJP to don the mantle of the Prime Minister of the country and that's why he has backed Kumar's candidature for the post in spite of the latter's reluctance to take up the responsibility.

The Congress leader flayed the BJP for obstructing functioning of parliament on the alleged coal blocks allotment scam and said that the party leadership has entrusted the minister of state for industries and commerce Jyotiraditya Scindia to visit Bihar to put across the UPA government and Congress's view on the issue.

Scindia will address public meetings at the divisional headquarters in Bihar from September 21 to expose the BJP's "designs" on the coal allotment issue, Kaiser said, adding that the union minister's campaign will be carried out in seven-phases.